Hair Analysis
Using this test to evaluate the body’s burden of mercury can also be misleading. Anywhere from 70% to nearly 95% of the mercury found in a hair sample comes from organic, or methyl mercury. The main source of methyl mercury is from contaminated fish. So, if you have high mercury hair levels the majority of it could be from fish, and not from the elemental mercury released by amalgam fillings. Thus, you could still be exposed to high levels of elemental mercury and yet show low readings of mercury in the hair that won’t accurately reflect your body burden of mercury.
Mercury released from amalgam fillings is taken up by various enzymes and proteins found in the cells, nerves, organs and tissues of the body. This means the hair analysis can’t accurately determine the body burden of mercury because only a portion of the mercury you are exposed to will ever find its way into hair follicles.
In addition, hair mercury analysis only records whether mercury was available to the hair follicle during the time that portion of the hair was growing. It tells us nothing about exposure to mercury before or after that period, nor does it provide any indication about how much mercury is present in the body and the brain. Unless this test is accompanied by a fecal metals test, it doesn’t yield much usable information about the amount, or type, of mercury entering or leaving the body.
However, many believe that the hair analysis is a relatively good test for evaluating the body’s mineral levels, and interpreted correctly, it can be helpful for that purpose.
Urine Porphyrin Profile
This is a more recently available, non-invasive, test that can detect recent exposure to mercury, not just the mercury that is stored in the body. The test is based on the fact that the cells of the body manufacture a molecule called heme.
Heme is a molecule essential to the formation of hemoglobin, the iron containing compound found in red blood cells that takes up oxygen in the blood and transports it throughout the body. There is a series of reactions essential to the creation of heme, each involving the step-by-step conversion of a protein called porphyrin into heme.
If the enzymes involved in converting porphyrins to heme are interfered with, they can escape the cell and are excreted in the urine. The type of porphyrin detected in the urine is dependent on which enzyme is not functioning. In this test, the type of porphyrins that shows up in the urine are there because mercury blocked the enzyme that would normally convert it to the next porphyrin compound in heme formation.
Based on my research, I think this test is very useful in determining an ongoing exposure to mercury, especially from amalgam fillings. However, it does not determine the amount of mercury already stored in the body, or what the body is removing naturally. It would be informative if done in conjunction with a fecal metals test. Particularly for those who’ve already had their amalgam fillings removed.
It would also be a valuable test for the dentist, and staff, in evaluating their mercury exposure. The test is available in the United States from Metametrix Clinical Laboratories.
Testing for Mercury Allergy
Melisa Test®
The MELISA® test (Memory Lymphocyte Immuno Stimulation Assay) measures hypersensitivity to numerous metals, including mercury, by placing a series of metals into contact with the white blood cells of the person being tested and then monitoring the reaction. At the time of publication, this allergy test was the only scientifically proven test of this type.
Test results will enable you to confirm or eliminate the possibility that you’re allergic to mercury or other heavy metals. This test would be useful if you have mercury fillings and also have allergies that haven’t been accurately diagnosed—or if you haven’t adequately responded to treatment for any suspected allergy. It’s very possible that you’ve not accumulated enough mercury in your body to manifest direct symptoms of chronic mercury poisoning, but if you’re allergic to mercury, even small amounts released from your fillings could trigger an allergic reaction and related symptoms.
Other indicators of mercury sensitivity include an unusual or dramatic response during, or soon after, the placement or removal of amalgam fillings or an allergic reaction to a variety of foods, chemicals and environmental toxins without being able to find the culprit. Mercury is known to increase the body’s susceptibility to other allergens, making any existing allergies worse.
If any of these conditions apply to you, it’s crucial to investigate further. People who are sensitive to mercury not only suffer from the direct and indirect effects of mercury poisoning, but also from the side effects of an allergic reaction to it. To avoid confusing a mercury allergy with an allergic reaction to another substance, I highly recommend the MELISA® test.
Recommended Testing Laboratories
Fecal Metals Test, Hair Analysis, Urine Challenge, and Blood Tests
Doctors Data, Inc.
3755 Illinois St.
Charles, IL 60174-7860
Phone: 630-377-8139
Toll free: 800-323-2784
Fax: 630-587-7860
Email: inquiries@doctorsdata.com
Website: www.doctorsdata.com
Urine Porphyrin Profile
Metametrix Clinical Laboratory
3425 Corporate Way
Duluth, GA 30096
770-446-5483
800-221-4640
inquiries@metametrix.com
www.metametrix.com
Mercury Allergy Test (MELISA®)
MELISA Diagnostics
Phone: 800-650-7850
Fax: 650-641-2184
Email: lana@melisa.org
Website: melisadiagnostics.com
Additional information about the Melisa Foundation can be found at www.melisa.org.
You can access the list of Melisa laboratories in the USA and worldwide at www.melisa.org/melisa-clinics.php.
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